Archive for the ‘trash haulage’ Category

Eco Blog: dedication to Green Hauling

With an ever-increasing importance being placed on environmental issues, more and more people are taking a second look at how much waste they produce and how they can better dispose of it. Although responsibly disposing of smaller, common household items like cans, boxes, leftover food, and containers is relatively straight forward, it gets a bit more complicated once we arrive at bigger and more sophisticated items like furniture and electronics.

One such item that always throws eco-friendly folks for a curve is mattress removal. Mattresses are an item that tends to find its way into the dump rather than a recycling center. Today we are going to look at the process of breaking down and recycling an old mattress responsibly.

Of all the different items you will find in a second hand store, you will almost never find a used mattress. In fact, most stores that deal with furniture re-sales will have a strict “no mattress” policy, and for good reason too. A study conducted by Ohio State University found that used mattresses typically have between 100,000 and 10 million mites living inside. These mites, who thrive in a warm, moist environment, feed on the dead skin cells that humans tend to shed at night. Additionally, ridding a mattress of all mites on a regular basis is an incredibly tough job even with all of the proper tools. That being said, you most likely wont see a ton of people lining up to buy mattresses second hand.

What’s recyclable

While mattresses do contain components of a wide range of materials, most of them can be reused or recycled. Mattress frames and their springs are almost always made of wood and steel, organic materials that have been recycled for years. The stuffing of a mattress, whether it is cotton or foam, can be reused in a number of ways (for example, carpet padding, or furniture reupholstering).

A step-by-step process

If all the materials that comprise a mattress can be reused or recycled than you might be asking yourself, what makes them so hard to recycle? It’s the fact that all those materials need to be separated and treated differently, which results in a painstaking process:

All mattresses are stored so that they are properly dried out and sorted.

After they are sorted, all of the fabric is removed and bundled based on the type of material (i.e., cotton, fabric, wool, foam, etc.) For there, the bundles are sent elsewhere so that the material can be reused.

From here, the steel springs are removed from the wooden frames. This process can be long and arduous to do by hand, so in most cases recyclers use a specialized machine that strips and bundles the springs for them.

Once the springs are removed, the wooden frames are broken down and recycled.

While it is obviously easier to just dump an old mattress in a landfill, properly recycling mattress has a significant environmental impact. Properly recycling or 10,000 mattresses can save 239 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. That equates to planting 273 trees or taking 40 cars off the streets! That reason alone should be more than enough reason to research options in your area.

The folks over at www.trucksandparts.com manufacture a lot of different vehicles and equipment. One of the types of vehicles they specialize in is garbage trucks. As such, they recently created a very informative infographic highlighting 14 different facts about garbage and trash production in America. As a junk hauler with an emphasis on green, environmentally-responsible hauling, we think it’s great to see this kind of information distributed.

Here are few eye-opening figures from the infographic below that may give you pause:

The total volume of solid waste created by Americans every year is equivalent to the weight of 2.3 MILLION Boeing 747 jumbo jets.

Most communities spend more money on trash disposal than they do on schoolbooks and libraries, fire protection, and public parks

Americans throw away 40% of the world’s toys, but only 4% of the world’s children live in the United States

Technological advancements have become a part of everyday life over the last several decades, fundamentally changing the way we do everyday tasks. Everything from buying everyday items like groceries and movie tickets to filing taxes and starting a business has become inundated with technology, simplifying and optimizing process that used to occupy a significant amount of time and energy. While these advancements have generally been welcomed, some express concern that tech is slowly snuffing out jobs and even whole industries. Today we are going to look at a few of the recent technological developments in waste collection and analyze how they will affect the industry as a whole.

Electric Garbage Trucks

Tesla Motors, today’s gold standard in automobile innovation, are applying their technology to try and make garbage trucks quieter and more efficient. They are currently developing an electric drivetrain that can be installed in most large-scale collection trucks in operation, replacing the loud, cumbersome diesel engines and transmissions. The electric engines are powered by battery packs, and also help re-charge the batteries when the driver breaks. Should batteries run low, an on-board turbine (running on either diesel or biofuel) kicks in to give the batteries a boost.

Tesla claims that because combustion engines are least efficient on vehicles making frequent stops, the electric drive-train will make a significant impact on the environment and costs. They believe that the engines could reduce fuel consumption by 67%, emissions by 63%, and vehicle maintenance costs by as much as $25,000 annually.

“Smart” Garbage Cans

Compology, a San Francisco-based startup, has created a sensor that can be attached to the inside of any trash or recycling receptacle. By being able to detect and send alerts when the trash is ready to be collected, the developers feel that collection companies can use the data to utilize more effective collection times and routes. The data can be stored and tracked in a native OS for further analysis as well.

One of the bigger selling points for the program is that it is entirely cloud-based, meaning companies will not have to install or hast any software. That means the dashboard can be accessed through any Internet-connected device. Based on their calculations, better-planned routes will cut costs up to 40 percent.

Trash Collecting… Robots?

Easily the most “out there” idea we cam across, the Volvo corporation announced a partnership with several companies and universities in both the US and Sweden to collaborate a project called Robot-based Autonomous Refuse handling, or ROAR. The project aims to create robots to assist in the heavy lifting aspects of garbage collecting (i.e., picking up and emptying the cans).

While the goal is to have the robots operate as autonomously as possible, Volvo will be developing a control panel for the driver to supervise the performance of each robot. Along with preventing workplace injuries among collectors, the robots will also help make the process quitter as well.

With all of these interesting developments in waste collecting technology, one must wonder how this will affect the status quo. Both the electric motor and the garbage can sensors seem to have good upside, given that they would not require the complete replacement of the equipment in use today. Another upside is that it does not eliminate a human step in the process, like Volvo’s robot. Its hard to tell now, but garbage collectors could see this a step towards the elimination of their jobs. Of course this depends on the performance of the robots in the field, but the implications merit paying close attention to further developments.

What is Hazardous Waste?

The definition of hazardous waste is simple – it is anything that is harmful to human or animal health or to the environment. It can be in any form – solid, liquid, sludge or gas. While manufacturing industries are the biggest producers of this waste, hospitals, offices and homes also contribute in the form of batteries, electrical items, cleaning materials and so on. Hazardous waste must be disposed of differently, from biodegradable waste.

Why Proper Disposal Is Important?

Hazardous waste is toxic. If it is not disposed of properly, it can put human, animal and plant life in danger. Contamination in the soil can leach into the water supply and the atmosphere. When this happens life and health are put at risk. The property values in an area that is contaminated plummet and the polluters are liable to fines and lawsuits.

The Right Way to Dispose It

The easiest way to begin is to reduce the amount of hazardous waste that is produced. For manufacturers among the steps that can be taken are:

Replacing hazardous material with safer ones.

Improving manufacturing processes to reduce waste.

Using better and more modern equipment.

Training employees in waste handling practices.

For the home:

Recycle everything you can.

Donate all that can be donated.

Consider repair instead of replacement where possible.

Dispose of hazardous waste properly instead of pouring it in toilets, down the drain, or in the ground.

Sign Up with a Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal Specialist

You may be doing all of the above and more. But your responsibility to your community and the planet does not end there. What if the hazardous waste you have been so careful with is dumped in the wrong place, in the wrong way? There are a lot of fly-by-night waste collection companies that only want to collect your garbage and bill you for it. They dump the waste wherever they can, with no regard to the pollution they cause, so they can move on to the next job. All your efforts to be a good citizen go down the drain.

Using a licensed and reputed green trash haulage and disposal company is neither more difficult nor more expensive. The good ones offer 7 days a week service and can be depended upon to collect your garbage and ensure that it is disposed of in the correct way. When trash is dumped at a disposal site, there is a charge which you have to bear. However, plenty of material can be recycled and the green haulage companies sell this and will share the income with you, lowering your overall costs. Being really green will not empty your pocket.

Check out the company you are using and find out how green they really are.

Finding the Right Company

If you have doubts about the company you are using, finding the right one is easy. Talk to green haulage and disposal companies to find one you can depend on to do the job the right way. Ask for details on how they operate, how trash is disposed of and how recyclable materials are sold. The one that gives you clear and direct answers, and is backed by reputation and experience, is the one you that you can depend on and be sure off.